Eclectic and striving never to follow paths into ruts, the OF Blog focuses on essays, reviews, interviews, and other odds and ends that might be of interest to fans of both literary and speculative fiction. Now with a cute owl for your enjoyment.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Ever wondered what type of books might appeal most to dogs, specifically six month-old puppies? Well, I just discovered that today. I'm off work today due to being hopped up on painkiller meds after having an infected wisdom tooth removed yesterday afternoon, so I was around to catch Callie (the puppy) in flagrante delicto with the two books pictured below that had been delivered a few minutes before by the FedEx guy while I was busy eating a very soft meal of almost-undercooked french fries (yes, I doubt I'll be eating anything that involves much chewing for a while).

But Callie appears to be a bit selective. There were three cardboard envelopes by the porch door. Only one had been opened and chewed upon. Here are the contents of that package (she was busy with the book on the left when I discovered it and disciplined her - and no, I didn't hit her or anything cruel like that. Stern voice can work wonders...or so I hope):

I guess Callie is drawn more to the paranormal romance type story. Especially if it has vampires in it. Sorry Jeanne C. Stein, but your Retribution book seems to have been handled roughly by Callie. But Moira Moore's Heroes at Risk only received a couple of puncture marks. Don't know if this is a sign that Callie couldn't decide if she wanted to devour the book later or if she didn't like the quality of the book.

However, Mickey Zucker Reichert's Flight of the Renshai and Violette Malan's Storm Witch weren't even touched by Callie. I think she might have been intimidated by their size and heft, perhaps finding that (as is the case with several Americans, canines and non-canines alike) that MMPBs appeal most to them.

So, dear reader, do you think I ought to see if I can get Callie to give a "review" of the Stein book? It might take some convincing, based on her look from this photo I just took:

10 comments:

The dog has not proven her reviewing skills enough to have the opportunity to behold the Pynchon. She still needs to work on her techniques a bit, I believe. But since she's only a puppy, perhaps this will come with time?

I can't make up my mind whether I like it or not. it's the first Pynchon I have not enthusiastically loved from page 1. you're probably right; it may not be the best place for your dog to start with Pynchon

Well, our dogs are outdoor pets, so they are accustomed to entertaining themselves in the usual ways: barking at cars, chasing squirrels, rabbits, deer, and wild turkeys, and in Callie's case, devouring books. Perhaps I should just leave a doorstopper epic fantasy out there for her to play with? Or would a more "weird" book, say Thunderer, be more suitable for an impressionable young dog?

Indeed. I'm going to try reading it tomorrow (if it maintains its one vote lead in the current poll) or by Tuesday at the latest. If I don't like it, then perhaps I'll let Callie weigh in with her opinions on the book's devourability.